10/12/2023 0 Comments October 12th, 2023Kim Min-seok (19), who became the eighth high school rookie in history to reach the 100-hit mark, expressed his affection for Ahn Kwon-soo (30), who is likely to leave the team after this season.
Kim Min-seok went 6-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored as the No. 8 hitter and center fielder in Lotte's home game against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. Behind Kim's hot bat, Lotte defeated Doosan 14-3 to claim the final home game of the series. Kim was hot at the plate on this day. After getting his first hit of the game with a single to right in the second inning, he followed it up with back-to-back hits in the third and fourth innings to complete his three-hit performance. In his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kim hit a slow grounder to the third baseman. He sprinted to first base and was ruled an infield hit after video review, completing his 100th hit of the season. It is rare for a high school rookie to record 100 hits in his first year. Only seven players in the KBO had done so before this game. Starting with Kim Jae-hyun in 1994, only Lee Seung-yeop in 1995, Park Jin-man in 1996, Jung Sung-hoon in 1999, Lee Jung-hoo in 2017, Kang Baek-ho in 2018, and Moon Hyun-bin in 2023 have reached the mark. Kim became only the eighth player in history to hit 100 hits in his first season as a high school rookie, joining his "classmate" Moon Hyun-bin. After the game, Kim first reflected on the season, saying, "It seems like just yesterday that we played our opening game at home, but the season has gone by so fast. I'm grateful that so many fans have always come and supported us." However, Kim Min-seok said that his performance this season was "not good enough." "I thought a lot about making up for the deficiencies in the final camp and spring training and playing better baseball next year," he said. "It was great to be able to play baseball without getting injured for a season," he said, then added, "I was able to record 100 hits because of the managers and coaches who believed in me and sent me out to play." "He's a close friend of mine, but he's so wild," he said of his fellow Hanwha Eagles player Moon Hyun-bin, who was the first to reach the 100-hit plateau. "It's really nice to see him go through a season without getting hurt. I congratulated him on his 100th hit, but I want to tell him again." Meanwhile, the star of the game was undoubtedly Ahn Kwon-soo. Ahn Kwon-soo, a Korean-American, will no longer be able to play in the KBO after this year due to military service. This was Lotte's final home game. It was the last time Ahn would be able to greet the Busan fans at Sajik Baseball Stadium in a Lotte uniform. Kim Min-seok, who shares a room with Ahn Kwon-soo, said of Ahn Kwon-soo, "He was a senior who was like a friend." "I switched to the outfield less than a year 안전놀이터 ago, and he helped me a lot. Even when I couldn't see the coach's signature, he would catch me first, and he would say, 'Take your time,' a lot. When I wasn't hitting well, he helped me a lot by telling me about problems in the hostel," she said, expressing her gratitude to Ahn Kwon-soo. "I still haven't realized the breakup," he said, "but every time I enter the hostel, I see him (Kwonsoo) packing his things. That's where I realized it a little bit."
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